Sealing machine



Nov. 11, 1958 Original Filed Sept. 20, 1946 H. E. s-rovER SEALINGMACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BYXWW JTTORNEY 1958 H. E. s-rovER 2,859,858

SEALING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 20, 1945 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR.

H. E. STOVER SEALING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Sept. 20,1946 Nov. 11, 1958 H. E. STOVE SEALING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 20,1946 6 Sheets-Sheet JTTORNEY Nov. 11,1958.

Original Filed Sept 2o, 1946 SEALING MACHINE e Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

"WWW

JTTORNEY Nov. 11, 1958 E. STOVER SEALING MACHINE 6' Sheets-Sheet 6Original Filed Sept. 20, 1946 SEALING MACHINE Harry E. Stover,Lancaster, Ohio, assignor to Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation,Lancaster, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original applicationSeptember 20, 1946, Serial No. 698,124, now Patent No. 2,618,425, datedNovember 18, 1952 Divided and this application January 15, 1952, SerialNo. 266,535

3 Claims. (Cl. 198-34) The present invention, a division of my.co-pending application Serial No. 698,124, filed September 20, 1946,now Patent No. 2,618,425, relates to the sealing art and embodiedadditions to and improvements upon the machine of my prior application,Serial No. 579,671, now Patent No. 2,529,199. Both prior applicationshave been assigned to the assignee of the present application.

. Certain of the improvements may be embodied in sealing machinesgenerally, but the preferred embodiment illustrating the inventionutilizes vapor for forming a high vacuum in a container at the time theclosure is sealed to it. The injection of the vapor at and shortly priorto the time of sealing reduces the amount of vapor required, reduces theamount of condensate both inside and outside the package, and increasesthe vacuum within the package. As described in my Patent No. 2,529,199,steam superheated to a high temperature is utilized to sterilize thehead space and the inside of the closure, to reduce the quantityrequired, to reduce the amount of resulting condensate, to form a highervacuum, and to otherwise improve the sealing operations.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved sealingmachine.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means foreliminating or minimizing the jamming of jars at the entrance to themachine.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes ofillustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings,forming a part of the specification, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a preferred embodiment of themachine with the head spacer mechanism omitted;

"Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the machine including the headspacing mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view along'the line 4-4 of Fig. 2illustrating the interior of the machine and the drive for various partsthereof;

Fig. 5 isa sectional view along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4 illustrating asafety feature of the drive for the machine;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view through the base of the machinetaken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the helicoid and parts of the drivetherefor;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view illustrating parts of the helicoiddrive takenalong the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view through the superstructure of themachine taken along the line 9 -9 of Fig.

3 illustrating .the'drive connections in the superstructure for partsthereof; and

2,859,858 Batented Nov. 11, 1958 GENERAL DESCRIPTION As a convenience inunderstanding the invention, a short descriptionwill now be given of themajor parts of the machine before giving detailed descriptions thereof.Referring more particularly toFigs. 1 to 3, the preferred embodiment ofthe machine is illustrated with a base 1 which serves to house the drivein the lower part of the machine and to support a table 2 with itsassociated mechanisms. A superstructure 4, vertically adjustable withrespect to the table carries parts of the machine.

A conveyor 5 extends longitudinally over the table and over thesprockets 6 mounted on the extensions 7 which are secured to the ends ofthe base 1. An adjust able guide rail 8 extends along one side of theconveyor, and a helicoid 9; and adjustable rail along the other side oftheconveyor. A device or bumper 10, having resiliently mounted fingers11 thereon, and a retarder 12 co-operate with the helicoid 9 instarting'the containers through the machine. The conveyor carries thecontainers intoa star wheel 14 which cooperates with the helicoid inholding the containers in upright position as they pass the cap feed 15and its associated mechanism for placing a cap firmly on the rim of thecontainer. As the container leaves the cap applying means it passesunder a sealing head 16 which forces the closure completely down on thecontainer so that the sealed package is ready for labelling andshipping.

The forward end of the superstructure 4 has a head spacer 17 mountedthereon with discs which register with and extend into the mouths of thecontainers passing under the head spacer to displace any excess liquidin them so that each container will be filled substantially to the samelevel and so that all of the containers have at least a predeterminedhead space to facilitate. a proper seal and a proper vacuum within thecontainer. As the filled containers are carried away from the spacer onthe conveyor they pass under the cap positioning means 15, also mountedon thesuperstructure, where a cap is forcefully placed -on the rim ofthe container. Just before the cap is forced down and while one side ofthe cap is spaced from the rim of the container, steam is injected underthe the side of the cap until it is applied to the container in order todisplace the air thereinwith vapor and to form a vacuum seal when thevapor condenses. The mechanism 15 preferably applies suflicient pressureto the closure to seat it firmly :on the rim of the container and toform a vacuum seal thereon when the vapor within the, head spacercondenses, which is practically simultaneous with the placing of the capfirmly on the container. The pressure head 16 later forces the closurecompletely down on the container. Preferably the vapor is highlysuperheated to sterilize the inside of the closure and the head space atthe time of sealing and to minimize the amount of steam required and theresulting condensation.

Frame and drive Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 9, a descriptionwill now be given of the drive'connections to the operative parts of themachine.

The interior of the machine and the drive connections are shown moreparticularly in Fig. 4, which is a vertical section alongthe line 4-4 ofFig. 2, in Fig. 6 which is a horizontal section through the base alongthe line 6--6 of Fig. 3, and in Fig. 9, which is a horizontal sectionthrough the superstructure along the line 979 of Fig. 3.

Referring more'particularly to Figs. 4 and 6, the

.base 1 has mounted therein bearings 19 for supporting a pair ofvertical shafts or columns 20 which extend through the table 2 withtheir upper ends secured to the superstructure 4 of the machine toadjustably support it and the parts thereon. Threaded members 21 areadapted to raise and lower the vertical columns 20 when bevel gears 22at their lower ends are rotated by means of a handwheel 24 on shaft 25having bevel gears 26 thereon meshing with bevel gears 22. In thismanner the superstructure may be raised and lowered to accommodatedifferent heights of containers.

The motor for the machine and the reducing gears are carried in the baseof the machine and comprise a motor 27 (Figs. 4 and 6) having a pulley28 carrying a belt 29 extending about a pulley 30 forming a part of thereduction gears 31. The motor is preferably slidably mounted as shown at32 (Fig. 4) so that it may be moved toward and away from the reductiongears 31 by means of a handwheel 34 on shaft 35 which is threaded intothe motor base. In this way a constant speed motor may be used and thespeed of the machine varied by operating the handwheel 34 to change theposition of the motor with respect to the reduction gears. A detaileddescription of the speed change mechanism is not necessary as it is acommon form of drive sometimes known as a Reeves drive.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 5, means are shown for disconnectingthe drive from the entire machine when excessive overloads areencountered to prevent breaking of parts of the machine. As illustratedin the preferred embodiment, the pulley 30 is connected to the reductiongears through the intermediation of a disc 36 secured thereto by a shearpin 37 mounted in bushings 38. When an excessive overload is encounteredthe pin 37 shears and stops the machine. This, of course, does not occurfrequently and in such emergencies the shear pin may be replaced veryquickly by removal of the disc 36 and inserting another pin.

The speed reducer 31 has a vertical shaft with a bevel gear 39 thereonmeshing with a bevel gear 40 on shaft 41. Shaft 41 is mounted inbearings 42 and extends horizontally through the upper part of the baseof the machine in suitable position to be connected to other parts ofthe machine.

A worm gear 44 on shaft 41 (Fig. 6) meshes with a gear 45 on shaft 46carrying the star wheel 14. The star wheel preferably comprises twostars 14a and 14b mounted on the opposite sides of the member 140 andspaced a substantial distance from each other to retain the containersin upright position. A cover plate 140! holds the keyed member 140 inplace.

A bevel gear 48 also on shaft 41 meshes with a bevel gear 49 on shaft 50to drive the helicoid 9 through a chain of gears described hereinafter.

A gear 52 also on shaft 41 meshes with a gear 54 on shaft 55 to drivethe conveyor 5 through the reduction gear 56 (Fig. 2).

A bevel gear 59 (Fig. 4) meshes with a bevel gear 60 on the verticalshaft 61 to drive the superstructure parts by means of a bevel gear 62slidably keyed to shaft 61 and meshing with a bevel gear 64.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 9, illustrating a horizontal sectionthrough the superstructure, the bevel .gear' 62 on shaft 61 meshes withbevel gear 64 on shaft 65 for driving the pressure head 16. The bevelgear 64 on shaft 65 meshes with a bevel gear 66 on shaft 67 which inturn has a gear 68 (Fig. 4) on its end meshing with gear 69 on shaft 70.The shaft 70 has a 45 degree angle gear meshing with a similar gear 72on shaft 74, which in turn has a 45 degree angle gear 75 meshing with asimilar gear on the vertical shaft 76 to which the cap feed is connectedat its upper end 77. V

The shaft 70*(Fig. 9) also has a bevel gear 78 at its end meshing with,a bevelgear 79 on a horizontalshaft 80 which drives the head spacer 17.

By means of the drive connections described generally above, the starwheel, the conveyor and the vertical shaft 61, leading to thesuperstructure, are driven from the horizontal shaft 41 in the upperpart of the base of the machine. The sealing head, the head spacer andthe cap feed are driven from shafts 67 and 70 in the superstructure ofthe machine operated by bevel gear 62 on the vertical shaft.

Conveyor and helicoid The conveyor 5 may be ofany suitable type,preferably composed of a series of plates as described in my Patent No.2,529,199. Suitable sprockets 6 (Fig. 3) mounted at the ends ofextensions 7, secured to the base, carry the conveyor, one of thesprockets being driven through the reduction gear 56 operativelyconnected to shaft 55 which is connected to the machine drive. The table2 supports the conveyor as it passes through the machine so thatcontainers placed on it are carried through the machine where theseveral operations are performed in the sealing of them.

It is desirable that the containers be spaced a predetermined distanceso that they may register with the discs of the head spacer 17 and withthe recesses in the star wheel 14 as they pass through the machine. Ahelicoid 9 is adapted to co-operate with the guide rail 8, retarder 12and bumper 10 to achieve this objective.

The helicoid is a hollow member tapering slightly at its forward end asshown at 82 with a helical fin 84 extending thereabout. The helicoid ismounted upon a pair of swinging members 85 and 86. The swinging member85 is mounted on a bolt 87 in bracket 88 .and is held in proper positionby a second bolt 89 mounted in a slot 106 (Fig. 1) in the bracket 88.The upper end of the swinging member 85 has a protruding bearing 90extending into the tapered end of the helicoid. The opposite end of thehelicoid extends over the end of a member 93 seated on the protrudingend of the shaft member 92 keyed to a gear 94. The gear is held on theshaft by the bushings 95 bolted to the swinging member 86. The bushing95 has a hollow center with a threaded member '96 closing one end and apin 97 closing its other end, said pin having a cammed or inclined end98 engaging the inner of two balls 99, the outer one projecting into arecess 100 in the member 93. The pin 97 is forced into its outerposition by a spring 101 whose tension may be regulated by the threadedmember 96. Should the containers jam in passing through the machine, thepin 97 will be forced back against the spring 101 and the upper ballforced out of the recess 100 so that the helicoid will stop. Each timethe ball 99 engages the recess, pressure will be applied to rotate thehelicoid and if the resistance has been released the helicoid will startagain properly synchronized with the head spacer. If desired, adisconnecting means similar to that described hereinafter with respectto the head spacer and the cap feed may be utilized instead of the onejust described.

The swinging member 86 is mounted about a hollow projection 102 fittingin a bearing 104. A bolt 105 extends through a slot 106 (Fig. 1)permitting the member 86 to be swung in the bearing 104 about shaft 107.The bolt 105 also carries a gear 108 which meshes with gear 94 and 109.Thus the member 86 may be adjustably swung in the bearing 104 withoutinterfering with its drive.

The shaft 107 has a bevel gear 110 on its end meshing with a bevel gear111 on shaft 112 (Fig. 6) which in turn has a gear 114 meshing with agear 115 on shaft 50. The shaft 50 is connected to the motor drive bymeans of a 'bevel gear 49 thereon, and by bevel gear 48 on shaft 41,

which is the horizontal shaft at the base of the machine and which isconnected to the motor drive through bevel gears 39 and 40 and reductiongear 31.

The mechanism described can be easily connected to the machine drive bya shaft at the center of the machine and permits the helicoid to beswung toward and away from the conveyor to accommodate containers ofdifferent sizes. Usually the larger containers have greater height andas the helicoid moves away from the conveyor the height of it increases,which is helpful in having its contact nearer the middle of the jars.The helicoid may be removed and replaced by removal or loosening of theswinging arm 85 and may. beadjusted in position by loosening the nuts89. and 103.

The so-called bumper, 10 (Fig. 2) facilitates entry of the jars into themachine. Preferably the bumper is substantially the same, as thatillustrated in my Patent No. 2,529,199, and comprises a series ofresiliently mounted fingers 11 which afford substantial resilience andpermit the containers to adjust themselves in moving into the helicoid.A guide rail 8 (Fig. 2) extends from the bumper through the machine andis mounted by means of bolts 116 in inclined slots 117 for adjustment toand from the conveyor to accommodate different sizes of containers. Byreason of the inclined slots 117 the adjustments retain the railparallel to the median line of the conveyor.

A retarder 12 is mounted on the forward end of the rail 8 and maycomprise a resiliently mounted member 118 held in the position shown inFig. 2 by means of a spring 119 effective upon the end thereof beyondits pivot 118a. The purpose of the retarder 118 is to offer a resistanceto the movement of each container so that the container is forced backinto contact with the fin on the helicoid. Once the container touchesthe helicoid, retarder 118 rotates in a clockwise direction (Fig. 2) toallow the container to pass. After the container clears retarder 118,the retarder is returned to the position of Fig. 2 by spring 119. Spring119 is mounted on rod-like extension 119a of retarder 118 between endnut 119a and a stationary bearing 11% so that clockwise rotation of 118compresses it. In this way the container will register accurately withthe discs of the head spacer.

The guide rail 8 preferably extends from the bumper 10 to the star wheel14 and from the star Wheel past the pressure head of the machine. A pairof spaced guide rails 120 (Fig. l) are mounted similarly to the guiderail 8 and extend on the helicoid side of the conveyor from the helicoidpast the pressure head.

The containers entering the machine engage the spring fingers 11 of thebumper 10 and the forward end of the helicoid 9. Any jamming between thecontainers and the helicoid will be relieved by the spring fingersmoving outwardly. By the time the container reaches the end of thebumper 10 it is between adjoining fins of the helicoid. As it leaves thebumper 10 it engages the inclined forward surface 118 of the retarder 12which forces the container back against the fin of the helicoid, if itis not already in that position. The container then will move with theconveyor under the head spacer disks 121 and through the machine.

Operation In the operation of the machine, assuming that the machine hasbeen adjusted for the proper height and size container, filledcontainers are placed on the left end of the machine, illustrated inFigs. 1 to 3, without any particular arrangement or spacing of them.These containers are moved by the conveyor into the entrance between thebumper and the helicoid 9. Any jamming of the containers at this pointis taken care of by the resiliently mounted fingers 11 of the bumperwhich co-operate in getting the containers into the helicoid. Forexample, if the forward portion of the fin on the helicoid engages acontainer and presses it against the bumper 10, the spring fingers willyield and prevent any damage to the container. In addition, they willtend to force the container in rope pos t on w th p c o ehe icoi Afterthe containers passv the bumper, they engage. the retarding member 118,resiliently mounted by a spring 119, which tends to hold the respectivecontainers against movement on the conveyor until they are engaged bythe fin on the helicoid, thus positioning the container against the fin,in which position'the mouth should accurately register with the discs121 of the head spacer 17 (Fig. 3). These discs displace any excessmaterial out of the container leaving at least a minimum head space ineach container into which vapor may be injected and condensed to form avacuum seal. Where the head space is too small, less efficient resultsare obtained in forming a vacuum and in making a seal.

After the containers pass the head spacer they next engage the cappositioning means 15 and the pressure head 16 which seals the containersas is more fully described in my Patent No. 2,618,425.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a simple,inexpensive machine for vacuum sealing of containers utilizing highlysuperheated vapor. The machine embodies improvements on and additions tothe machine of my Patent No. 2,529,199. The entrance of the containersinto the machine and accurate positioning with respect to the helicoidhas been improved by the combination of elements, including theretarding mechanism, and various changes and improvements have beenembodied in the present machine.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, an endless belt conveyor havinga straight horizontal run for moving filled containers in uprightposition, means for spacing said containers uniformly apart on saidconveyor run comprising a helicoid disposed above the level of theconveyor and extending parallel therewith and having a helical finoverlying one side margin only ofthe conveyor for engaging successiveconvolutions of said fin with successive containers on said conveyor,drive means for said conveyor and said helicoid moving them insynchronism, a device for directing each container generally laterallyacross said conveyor into a space between successive convolutions ofsaid helicoid comprising resilient finger means, and means engaging thecontainers in the spaces between convolutions tending to retard themovement of any container spaced ahead of a convolution until engaged bysaid convolution, whereby said containers are maintained in uprightposition and in accurately spaced relationship by said helicoid whilebeing supported and moved by said conveyor.

2. The machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said separate retardermeans comprises a retarder member rotatably mounted adjacent to saidendless belt conveyor, a resilient member engaging said retarder memberand removably holding a portion of said retarder member above a portionof said endless belt conveyor whereby said portion of said resilientmember above said endless belt conveyor engages containers being movedby said endless belt conveyor thereby retarding their movement until thecontainer is engaged by a convolution of said helicoid and is forcedthereby past said retarder means as said retarder member is rotatedclear of the container.

3. In a machine of the class described, an endless belt conveyor havinga straight horizontal run for moving filled containers in uprightposition, means for spacing said containers uniformly apart on saidconveyor run com prising a helicoid disposed above the level of theconveyor and extending parallel therewith and having a helical finoverlying one side margin only of the conveyor for engaging successiveconvolutions of said fin with successive 7 containers on ,said conveyor,drive means for said conveyorand said helicoid 'moving them insynchronism With'the linear speed of the helicoid in the direction ofthe conveyor travel equal to the conveyor speed, a device for directingeach container generally laterally across said conveyor into a spacebetween successive convolutions of said helicoid comprising resilientfinger means, and separate retarder means engaging the containers in thespace between convolutions tending to retard the movement of anycontainer spaced ahead of a convolution until engaged by saidconvolution, whereby said containers are maintained in upright positionwith their rear side against the forward face of the helical fin and inaccurately spaced relationship by said helicoid While being supportedand I m'ovedby said conveyor.

UNITED- STATES PATENTS Taliaferro Oct. 12, Thomson Jan. 25, NordstromApr. 24, Kruse Oct; 20, Chapman Oct. 10, Hullhorst Oct. 21, Gantzer-June 2, Rolker Oct. 2, Davies May 24, Oates July 31,

Bergmann June 3,

